posted by Bill Galluccio -

4 months ago

Freezing temperatures are greeting Olympic athletes and spectators as they arrive in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the start of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Cold weather and high winds are creating potentially dangerous conditions for attendees. The wind chill could get as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit during the opening ceremonies on Friday evening.

35,000 people are expected to brave the cold weather to watch the opening ceremonies at the open-air PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Friday night. Dr. Dave Weinstein, a physician with Team USA, told NBC News that at those temperatures hypothermia can set in within 45 minutes.

Olympic officials are prepared for the cold and said that volunteers will be handing out blankets, heating pads, and a raincoat to all attendees. They have also installed heat lamps and wind shields throughout the stadium to help mitigate the cold. The forecast does not call for rain, but there could be snow flurries in the area.

The opening ceremonies start on Friday, February 9 at 6 am ET and will be broadcast live on NBC. They will also be streamed live and on-demand atNBCOlympics.com.